Clerk to residents:Beware of deed services offered

County and state residents are receiving notices in the mail from Record Transfer Services offering services to obtain copies of deeds and complete property profiles.

However, a Carter County official says the company, based in Delaware, is not associated with the county or any other governmental agency. The company asks that a processing fee of $83 be remitted for its services.

County clerk Cynthia Harmon said if it's not from the county, you probably need to throw it away.

"You can download it on the Internet for a dollar or you can come in and make a copy," she said. "We just heard about it. I guess they are doing it more often. The other day, we had three or four calls about it. People need to be aware of it, and it's happening across the state."

The notice has a compliance response date listed on the middle left-hand side of the notice, and uses information about the property that is public information. It also says the offer serves as solicitation for services, and should not be interpreted as a bill due.

The Ardmoreite called the company about the services offered. A customer services representative said it is obviously cheaper to take care of it yourself, and for services rendered, it costs a little bit more.